Donald Trump is clearly calling the shots in the GOP right now, and that includes decisions related to the government shutdown.
However, if you have noticed, in recent days, the president has pulled himself away from the rhetoric, making this a congressional fight rather than a fight between the bad orange man and the Democrats.
This distancing is a genius move by Trump, and it is working, as public sentiment appears to remain on the side of the GOP.
Democrats are putting out the narrative that the GOP is lying about its supposed desire to fund healthcare for illegal immigrants, but the Republicans have done an exceptional job of answering those claims.
For example, they are now explaining that many of the so-called “legal” migrants who would be eligible for healthcare under the Democrats' plan are migrants that Joe Biden dishonestly shuffled into the legal column via executive orders and temporary protected status (TPS).
For instance, all the Venezuelans who were here illegally were given TPS by the Biden administration, which was then extended just as Biden was leaving office.
Since they have TPS status, that means they are not “technically” illegal, and these are the people for whom Dems want us to pick up the tab. They are non-citizens, and they are not green-card holders, so they should not be on our dime, period.
Democrats know, at least for now, they are losing this perception battle, and they are losing it fairly significantly if recent polling on the subject is accurate, so they are resorting to ridiculous stunts.
For instance, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) challenged House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to a televised debate (personally, I would have loved to have seen this). Johnson responded, "When the poll says that about 13% of the people approve of your messaging, then you make desperate pleas for attention, and that's what Hakeem Jeffries has done.”
Johnson continued, "We debated all this on the House floor. As you know, before we passed our bill, he spoke for seven or eight minutes. He had all of his colleagues lined up. They gave it their best shot, and they argued, and they stomped their feet and screamed at us and all that. And still we passed the bill in bipartisan fashion and sent it over to the Senate."
I know it’s a stunt, but I would agree to Jeffries' demand, then send Vice President JD Vance out there to debate him. Vance would crush Jeffries, who really struggles when he speaks publicly, and he just cannot seem to stop those hands from aimlessly waving around. But I get Johnson’s point… why give them the pulpit when the American people are already seeing through them?
Trump was front and center during the early days of this shutdown, but he has been eerily quiet of late, and quite frankly, I love this approach.
This makes it about the GOP and Democrats rather than dragging the White House into every conversation. And when the administration is mentioned, it is now Vance jumping in to defend its position, which allows Trump to wear the black hat in the immigration fight, something on which he thrives.
Political columnist Kristin Tate agrees with this new approach, writing, "By staying relatively quiet right now, President Trump is allowing Democrats to ‘own’ the shutdown.” She continued, "By maintaining a low profile, Trump is allowing the public to see how the Democrats are acting. The Democrats will ultimately bear most of the political consequences of the shutdown."
Now, I am not saying Trump will be able to maintain radio silence on this, because we all know he is champing at the bit. Hopefully, he manages to keep things under control, however, as the GOP message is really hitting home this front. This is ideal considering the history of the upcoming midterm elections. Please, Mr. President, stay away and let congressional leadership handle this one.
